Health literacy among lactating women and the promotion of breastfeeding and maternal and child health

Abstract

Objective: To describe and analyze the functional health literacy of lactating women treated at a Human Milk Bank in Maranhão. Method: Cross-sectional, descriptive study, carried out between August 2023 and March 2024, at the Milk Bank of a public university hospital in Northeast Brazil, using a validated health literacy scale. Results: A total of 187 lactating women participated, of which 56.15% had inadequate health literacy. There was a significant association between health literacy and the Mini Mental State Examination, with a greater probability of inadequate literacy among younger women (67.1%), with finished elementary education (91.7%), unfinished secondary education (91.7%), and income below one minimum wage (95%). Association tests (Chi-square) were applied, with significance at p < 0.05, highlighting the association between literacy and age (p = 0.00697). Conclusion: Most of the lactating women evaluated presented inadequate health literacy, showing the importance of educational strategies as a basis for health promotion and improvement of the care provided to this population.